This invention relates to a poker game apparatus, and more particularly to a poker game apparatus which is programmed to play a poker game in which the player has the option of choosing between a player's first hand dealt from a first deck of cards and a player's second hand dealt from a second distinct deck of cards. Additionally, a player also achieves additional awards or payouts if one or more of the cards in the first hand match one or more of the cards in the second hand.
There have been many types of electronic video poker gaming machines that have been developed. Each electronic video poker gaming machine is designed to replicate the play of a hand of poker. Typically, the player is not playing against any other players or against a dealer's hand; the player is simply attempting to achieve the highest ranking poker hand possible from the cards displayed to the player. The higher the poker hand achieved by the player, the greater the player's winnings based on the number of coins wagered by the player.
The forerunner of all electronic video poker gaming machines is the video Draw Poker machine that deals cards from a standard 52 card poker deck and displays a single five card hand to the player. The player then selects which of the five cards he wishes to hold (or discard depending on the format of the gaming machine). The draw poker machine then displays replacement cards for the cards the player has discarded. The player wins or loses based on conventional poker hand rankings for the resulting five card hand. A payout table is established based on the number of coins or tokens wagered by the player and the type of poker hand achieved.
Table 1 shows a typical payout schedule that is used in electronic video draw poker machines.
TABLE 1 ______________________________________ ROYAL FLUSH 250 500 750 1000 4000 STRAIGHT FLUSH 50 100 150 200 250 FOUR OF A KIND 25 50 75 100 125 FULL HOUSE 9 18 27 36 45 FLUSH 6 12 18 24 30 STRAIGHT 4 8 12 16 20 THREE OF A KIND 3 6 9 12 15 TWO PAIR 2 4 6 8 10 JACKS OR BETTER 1 2 3 4 5 ______________________________________
Based on theoretical probabilities, the payout table shown in Table 1 has a payback percentage of approximately 96%, which means that the gaming machine holds approximately 4%. The payback percentage can be adjusted up or down based on the profitability that the operator of the gaming machine desires and whatever regulations are imposed upon the operator by the gaming authority that regulates the use of the gaming machine.
The classic draw poker machine has been modified to use jokers as wild cards or to use deuces (or even other cards) as wild cards. "Joker's Wild" and "Deuces Wild" draw poker still display to the player a single five card hand and allow the player to discard unwanted cards and receive replacement cards. The payout table is modified to recognize the differing odds for achieving various poker hands when wild cards are involved.
Other types of poker games have been adapted to run on electronic video gaming machines. In the electronic version of seven card stud poker, the player wagers one or more coins to be eligible to play the game and the player is dealt three cards initially. The player then has the option of folding in which case he loses his initial wager or betting additional coins to receive additional cards. Eventually the player has either folded or received a full seven card hand. The player wins or loses based on conventional poker hand rankings for the best five cards of his seven card hand. A payout table is established based on the number of coins or tokens wagered by the player and the type of poker hand achieved.
In the electronic version of five card stud poker, the player wagers one or more coins to be eligible to play the game and the player is dealt four cards initially. The player then has the option of staying or betting additional coins to increase the amount of a winning payout when he receives the fifth card. After the fifth card is dealt to the player, the value of his five card hand is determined based on conventional poker hand rankings for his five card hand. A payout table is established based on the number of coins or tokens wagered by the player and the type of poker hand achieved.
Some of the card games adapted to electronic video gaming machines display both the player's hand and a dealer's hand. This occurs in those games where the player must beat the dealer in order to win.
In the electronic version of Twenty-One, the player is dealt two cards and the dealer is dealt two cards from a conventional deck of playing cards. Only one of the dealer's cards is exposed to the player. The player stands or hits based on the conventional manner of play of Twenty-One and after the player has completed the play of his hand, the dealer stands or hits as is conventional. The player wins if his hand totals more than the dealer's hand without going over the total of 21. If the player has a winning hand, he is paid one-to-one odds based on the amount of his wager. Blackjacks pay three-to-two odds and electronic Twenty-One gaming machines can be programmed to allow the player to perform conventional Twenty-One features such as doubling down, splitting pairs and taking insurance.
Because of the proliferation of legalized gaming, the competition for players has increased. Operators of gaming machines have been increasing the payback percentage to attract players and the increase of the gaming percentage has resulted in a lowering of profits to the operators. There is a demand in the market for new gaming machines that create a higher volume of play so that profits can be increased even with the higher payback percentages that the players desire.
In each of these electronic video gaming machines, the player receives a single hand to play from the electronic deck of cards. If the player receives an initial deal of poor cards, the player feels that his chances of winning are greatly reduced because the possibility of improving his hand through discarding and receiving replacement cards is not good. Because of the large number of combinations of the 52 playing cards of a standard deck taken five at a time, the chances of the player receiving poor cards in the initial deal are quite high.
If the electronic video gaming machine were programmed to deal to the player to distinct five card hands from two distinct decks of cards, the player would perceive that he has a better chance of winning. The player could select which of the two hands he desired to continue playing and the unselected hand would be removed from the video screen display.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a video gaming machine apparatus which displays a card game that encourages a high amount of play while at the same time maintains acceptable payback percentages.
It is a feature of the present invention to provide a video gaming machine that displays a card game in which the player is given two distinct hands from separate complete decks of cards. The player then chooses the one hand of the two that he wishes to play and the unselected hand is removed from the screen display. The player plays out the selected hand in a conventional manner according to the rules of the game and wins or loses according to the posted payout schedule.
It is an advantage of the present invention that a higher amount of play is generated on a video gaming machine apparatus while the payback percentage is maintained at acceptable levels, thus generating increased profits to the operator of the gaming machine.
Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following detailed description.